Axie Breen started training Northern Shaolin Kung-Fu with Valerie Wedel in Evanston, Illinois in 1989. She began training with the intent of getting back in shape after having her second baby. Not only did the get back in shape, she got a lifelong path as a bonus.

"Siji Valerie passed on to me a love for traditional Chinese martial arts. By example and by teaching, she made me feel like all the doors were open to me, and I just had to do the work to walk through them."

Axie also studied Taiji in Chicago with Elizabeth Wenscott, a disciple of Grandmaster Hsu Fun-Yuen.

"After we moved to Massachusetts, I tried a school close to home. The instructor didn't allow women to do partner drills with men. I really didn't like that on several levels. One being, if I can't practice making this technique work on someone bigger and stronger than I am, how useful is it? Driving all the way to YMAA in Jamaica Plain seemed like a big deal, but I finally decided if I was going to put in the time to study, it needed to be at a school that was really worth it."

Axie started training Shaolin at YMAA Boston in 1999 and shortly after also began training Taijiquan. She started teaching Taijiquan classes at YMAA in 2005.

Axie is a graphic designer and a musician with Chorus pro Musica in Boston.